Part 2
Lever 8 — Email Sequences
Module 3
Module at a Glance
Reading Time
15–20 minutes
What You’ll Walk Away With
A complete understanding of what drives email open rates and click rates — the specific subject line frameworks that work, the email body structure that keeps readers engaged, and the AI-assisted writing process that produces polished, high-converting emails in minutes.
L8M3.1
The Two Jobs Every Email Has
Every email you send has two jobs — and they happen sequentially. If the first job fails, the second job never gets a chance.
Job 1
Get opened
Happens in the inbox — before a single word is read. Determined by your subject line and preview text.
Under 2 seconds to decide: open or ignore
Job 2
Get clicked
Happens inside the email. Determined by the opening hook, body content value, and clarity of the CTA.
Only matters if Job 1 succeeds
Most email marketing advice focuses heavily on Job 2 — what to write in the email body. But the most beautifully written email in the world earns nothing if it sits unopened. Job 1 — the subject line — is where most email marketers lose the battle before it begins.
L8M3.2
The Anatomy of a Subject Line That Gets Opened
Your subject line competes with every other email in your subscriber’s inbox. Most people receive 50–150 emails per day — you are competing against emails from their boss, family, bank, and doctor.
Six proven frameworks that consistently win that competition:
Formula
“[Specific outcome] in [specific timeframe or context]”
Examples
→“Set up your welcome sequence in 90 minutes (with templates)”
→“The exact words I use to close high-ticket clients”
→“3 affiliate programs paying $200+ per referral”
Why it works: specificity signals real, usable information rather than vague inspiration. Subscribers open because they want the specific thing you promised.
Formula
“[Intriguing partial information that demands completion]”
Examples
→“I made a mistake with my email list last month”
→“The tool I stopped recommending (and why)”
→“Something unexpected happened after I published that post”
Why it works: the human brain dislikes unresolved information gaps. When you create one in a subject line, the reader’s mind is pulled toward resolving it — and the only way is to open the email.
⚠️
Use sparingly. Curiosity gap subject lines work powerfully but feel manipulative if overused. Reserve them for emails that genuinely deliver on the intrigue they create.
Formula
“[Something you’d genuinely say to a friend about this topic]”
Examples
→“Quick question for you”
→“Honest thought about affiliate marketing”
→“This one thing changed my content strategy completely”
Why it works: marketing emails are a sea of polished, formal subject lines. A genuinely casual subject line stands out by sounding like it came from a real person — because it did.
Formula
“[Number] + [specific thing]”
Examples
→“7 email subject line formulas that doubled my open rates”
→“5 tools I used to write 3 posts this week”
→“The 1 change that improved my email CTR by 40%”
Why it works: numbers create cognitive anchors — the reader immediately knows what format to expect and can calibrate whether it’s worth their time. Specific numbers (7, not “several”) signal genuine content.
Formula
“[Question your subscriber is actively thinking about]”
Examples
→“Is your email list actually making you money?”
→“What do you do when your content gets zero traffic?”
→“Have you tried this for your welcome sequence?”
Why it works: questions are inherently engaging — the brain automatically begins formulating a response. The key is asking questions your subscriber is genuinely thinking about, not rhetorical questions that feel like marketing.
Formula
“[New/important thing] + [brief context]”
Examples
→“New post: the affiliate strategy that’s working right now”
→“Closes tonight: the course I’ve been recommending”
→“Just published: my full AI workflow toolkit”
Why it works: humans are wired to respond to newness and urgency. Announcement subject lines work for genuine announcements — new content, real deadlines, actual launches.
⚠️
Manufactured urgency destroys trust permanently. Only use this for real deadlines and actual launches.
L8M3.3
Preview Text: The Overlooked Second Subject Line
Preview text — the snippet that appears after the subject line in most email clients — is the second most important element in your inbox display. Most email marketers either leave it blank or treat it as an afterthought.
Treat it as a second subject line.
Keep it under 90 characters. Complement — don’t repeat — the subject line.
Three ways to use it effectively:
Subject + preview combinations
Extend the benefit
Subject
“7 email subject line formulas that doubled my open rates”
Preview
“Including the one I use for every promotional email”
Complete the intrigue
Subject
“I made a mistake with my email list last month”
Preview
“Here’s what happened and what I changed”
Add social proof or urgency
Subject
“New post: the affiliate strategy that’s working right now”
Preview
“3 of my subscribers reported results in their first week”
In MailerLite and ConvertKit, the preview text field is a separate input above the email body editor — fill it every time before scheduling.
L8M3.4
Email Body Structure: The Four-Part Framework
Once a subscriber opens your email, you have approximately 8 seconds to convince them it was worth opening before they move on. Your opening line is critical.
Part 01
The Opening Hook
1–2 sentences
The first sentence must do one of three things: validate the subject line promise, deepen the curiosity it created, or immediately establish relevance to the subscriber’s situation.
✗
Weak opening
“Hi [First Name], today I want to talk about email subject lines.”
✓
Strong opening
“Last Tuesday I tested two subject lines on the same email. One got a 14% open rate. The other got 41%. The only difference was five words.”
✗
Never start with: “I hope this email finds you well,” “As you know,” “I wanted to reach out” — any filler phrase that signals nothing valuable is coming.
Part 02
The Value Delivery
200–350 words
The core of your email — the insight, story, tutorial, or resource you promised. Every sentence should either advance the story, deepen the value, or move toward the CTA.
Format rules for scannability
✓Short paragraphs — 2–3 sentences maximum
✓Line breaks between every paragraph
✓One bold line per email for the key insight
✗No walls of text — mobile readers abandon dense paragraphs instantly
Part 03
The Transition to CTA
Bridge your value delivery to your call to action with a natural, logical transition. The CTA should feel like the obvious next step from the value you just provided — not a sudden pivot to selling.
✗
Weak transition
“Anyway, I also have a course you might want to check out.”
✓
Strong transition
“If you want to build this kind of email system for your own list — I’ve put together a complete guide. It walks you through every sequence type, every automation, and every subject line framework with templates for each. Here’s where to get it:”
Part 04
The Single CTA
One — not two, not three
The more options you give subscribers, the less likely they are to take any of them. Decision paralysis is real and it costs clicks.
✓Specific: “Download the email sequence templates” — not “Click here”
✓Benefit-focused: what does the subscriber get from clicking?
✓Visually prominent: buttons convert better for product CTAs, text links for content CTAs
L8M3.5
Using AI to Write High-Converting Emails
AI dramatically accelerates email writing without sacrificing the personal voice that makes email effective. The key is using AI as a first draft engine — not a final draft publisher.
The email writing workflow
15–20 minutes total
1
Define the email’s job
2 minutes
Before opening Claude or ChatGPT, write one sentence:
“This email will [deliver value X] and ask the reader to [take action Y].”
This sentence becomes the brief for your AI prompt.
2
Generate subject line options
3 minutes
Prompt
“Write 10 subject line options for an email about [topic]. My audience is [describe]. Use these frameworks: specific benefit, curiosity gap, personal/conversational, number-led, and direct question — at least 2 options per framework. Keep each under 50 characters.”
Pick your top 2. Decide between them after drafting the body.
3
Draft the email body
5 minutes
Prompt Claude
“[Paste your context block from Lever 7]
Write an email about [topic]. Requirements:
• Opening: start with a specific, interesting anecdote or data point — not a greeting
• Body: 250–300 words. Deliver [specific value]. Short paragraphs, max 2–3 sentences each.
• Transition: bridge naturally to this CTA: [describe your CTA]
• CTA: one specific, benefit-focused call to action. Link text describes what they get, not ‘click here.’
• Sign off with: [your name]
• Tone: conversational American English, like writing to one smart friend”
4
Edit for voice
5 minutes
→Find the most AI-sounding sentence and rewrite it
→Add one personal detail — a specific experience, a number from your own results, an honest opinion
→Remove any phrase that sounds like marketing copy rather than a real person writing
→Read it aloud once before scheduling
L8M3.6
Subject Line Testing: The Habit That Compounds
Your subject line skills improve dramatically when you test systematically. MailerLite’s A/B testing feature lets you send two subject line versions to a portion of your list and automatically sends the winner to the rest.
Simple A/B testing process
1
For every email, write 2 subject lines using different frameworks
2
In MailerLite: campaign → enable A/B testing → set each version to 25% of list → winning metric: open rate → send window: 4 hours
3
After 4 hours, MailerLite automatically sends the winning subject line to the remaining 50% of your list
4
Record the winner in a spreadsheet: date, subject A + open rate, subject B + open rate, winner, which framework won
✓
After 20–30 tests, you’ll have a data-driven understanding of which frameworks resonate most with your specific audience. This personalized data is more valuable than any generic email marketing advice.
Module Summary
Here’s What We Covered
- ✦The two jobs every email has: get opened (subject line + preview text) and get clicked (body + CTA) — and why Job 1 determines whether Job 2 ever happens
- ✦Six proven subject line frameworks: specific benefit, curiosity gap, personal/conversational, number-led, direct question, announcement/urgency — with formulas and real examples for each
- ✦Preview text as the second subject line: 90 characters, complements rather than repeats, extends benefit or intrigue
- ✦The four-part email body structure: opening hook (start in the middle), value delivery (short paragraphs, 200–350 words), transition to CTA (natural bridge), single CTA (specific, benefit-focused)
- ✦The AI email writing workflow: define the job, generate subject lines, draft the body, edit for voice — 15–20 minutes from blank page to scheduled email
- ✦Subject line A/B testing: the systematic habit that compounds your email writing skill over 20–30 tests into personalized, data-backed knowledge
Next up Lever 8, Module 4: Setting Up Your Welcome Sequence and Automations